On the current trajectory, by the end of next year, the country will have lost a third of its newspapers since 2005. Discouragingly, the growth in alternative local news sources — digital and ethnic news outlets and public broadcasting — has not kept pace with what’s being lost.
As a result, most communities that lose a local newspaper do not get a replacement.
Our Quarterly Membership Sale starts now! Stop the Paywall and take advantage of the best deal of the year. Click here to purchase an Annual Membership.
You may also purchase a Gift Membership for a friend or loved one so they can keep connected to their community.
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season are upon us. I’m surprised at how fast it creeps up on us every year.
This Thanksgiving, as we do each year, will take a break for a holiday and reflect on the many blessings in our lives.
Potomac Local News Fall Membership Sale is Friday, November 24, through Friday, December 1, 2023. You can purchase an Annual Membership for only $108 during this time.
You’ll save over $100 during this sale by purchasing an Annual Membership vs. a Quarterly Membership sold all other times of the year.
We’re hiring freelance documenters to cover public meetings. Our program is an innovative digital collaboration between residents and the press, helping to deliver more local news to the communities we serve.
Our reporters choose the assignments they want to cover.
My interns, Amelia Breeden and Madina Habib of Osbourn High School and Jacqueline Vontersch of Elon University, a Woodbridge native, joined me at the ribbon cutting of RapidFlight. The firm uses 3-D printers to make unmanned aerial drones and announced a $5 million expansion, adding more than 100 new employees.
The student interns spoke with the governor, who encouraged them to pursue their studies in school and in local journalism. More than 200 people attended the event, which allowed the interns to photograph and meet other business leaders and elected officials from their community.
Our meeting documenters/reporters have their eyes and ears focused on our community. They’ve been doing some great work, from covering plans to improve area schools, improving water quality to building one of the most expensive local roads in our region.
A few program notes:
We’re joining our friends, family, and neighbors to mark the occasion and will take the day off. I hope you do something fun on the 4th of July, too.
Here are a few celebrations for Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Here’s a list of holiday closings.
Did you see our EXCLUSIVE report about the Manassas Airport commission unanimously voting to approve a plan to bring pass jet airline service to the city? Described as a “game-changer,” the service would provide an alternative to Dulles or Reagan National airports and realize a dream in the mid-1990s to bring passenger airline service to the state’s busiest general aviation airport.
Did you see our reporting on Stafford County’s continuing discussion on how it plans to remake “downtown Stafford,” the area around the courthouse? We were the only local news organization in the room to bring you the inside scoop on what types of businesses elected leaders say they want to see open shops on what is now county-owned land.
Meeting reporters are residents like you who want to help neighbors understand what is happening in their local governments in Prince William and Stafford counties, Manassas, Fredericksburg, and Manassas Park cities.
Meeting reporters attend public meetings, take notes on events of the meeting, and then submit their notes to us at PLN.
